Villa Park Opens Lead, Hangs On to Beat Loara

Villa Park used a couple of big plays to open a 21-point lead then hung on as Loara missed a two-point conversion attempt with 48 seconds left and the Spartans won, 28-27, in a nonleague football game Thursday at El Modena High.

Villa Park (1-3) struggled in the first three weeks but finally things seemed headed the Spartans’ way when Todd Snider took the opening kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown.

After a Loara punt, sophomore tailback Dache Dameron took a hand off, on what was supposed to be a simple dive play, hurdled a linebacker and raced up the middle for an 82-yard touchdown.

Dameron, who had been slowed by a leg injury earlier this season, finished with 250 yards and two touchdowns in 16 carries.

His second touchdown run came after the second-half kickoff hit a Loara player in the helmet and was recovered at the Saxon 14 by Villa Park’s Nick Miranda.

On first down, Dameron went 14 yards around the end and Villa Park was ahead, 28-7.

After that, Loara (2-2) was able to establish its ground game and dominate the rest of the game.

“We ran out of gas,” Villa Park Coach Pat Mahoney said. “We’re thin in certain positions and it showed.”

Loara’s rally started when senior tailback John Duhon scored on a one-yard run with 5 minutes 13 seconds left in the third and cut the lead to 28-14. Duhon finished with 165 yards in 29 carries.

Archie Lappin, Loara’s quarterback, went 30 yards around the end for another touchdown with 7:24 left in the game to make it 28-21. Loara’s defense forced Villa Park to punt after three plays and the Saxons started on their 29 with 5:14 left.

Loara had little trouble driving for a touchdown. Fullback Vince Vaccaro rushed for 34 yards, Duhon and Lappin 16 each and an off-side penalty accounted for the other five yards in the drive.

Duhon scored from the three with 48 seconds left and Loara Coach John deFries never hesitated in going for two. Lappin went back to pass but was pressured by Miranda who was pulling Lappin down as he threw incomplete into the right corner of the end zone.